At first glance, it may seem quite strange to compare two seemingly different works like Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and A Passage to India by EM Forster. Besides the disparity in their length and structure (Heart of Darkness: a short story, A Passage to India: a fully developed novel), the two stories are separated by a generation and were produced at different periods of each writer's career . Each of the two novelists comes from a very different background and had a completely unique upbringing. In Conrad's case, the news was a direct result of his experiences as manager of a small river steamboat in the African Congo in 1890. For his part, EM Forster, having traveled so often through India, seemed having produced A Passage in India thanks to his own “passages” there. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Regardless of all these factual differences, the two novels have a lot in common. Both works deal with issues of colonialism and not only “fall” into the category of postcolonial literature, but undoubtedly trigger many questionable issues related to colonialism that were otherwise hidden under the feigned integrity of British rule. Just as Heart of Darkness, although ostensibly about an ordinary sailor's journey, is not meant to be a "typical" journey, so is the "Passage" that Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested take to the India is much more than just a passage. . This multiplicity of meanings makes it quite obvious that the two novels must be understood at different reading levels in order to derive their full essence. Both novels carry the burden of factual evidence from specific eras in history. A Passage to India brings before our eyes the era of the decline of the British Empire after the First World War, while Heart of Darkness takes us to the realm of the European imperial powers involving numerous trips to Africa. In this way, EM Forster and Joseph Conrad can be seen as perfect examples of writers who can explicitly express the mood of a particular moment in history. The views of the natives expressed in the novels against “imperialism” and its impact are the epitome of their times. “Social Darwinism” and “Eurocentrism” are two notions directly traced by the two novelists in depth. Only the 'fittest' could survive in the world they described and the only possible 'centre' for the production of 'fitness' in this world was undoubtedly seen as 'Europe'. The mastery of producing exceptional characters who thus fit well into their current costumes of the story can only be the trait of an exceptional writer. Both Conrad and Forster are blessed with this trait which they exhibit well in these two masterpieces. Both stories are told from the perspective of European characters who find themselves in foreign countries as direct representatives of a European power or because of a connection to imperial activity, although A Passage to India is unusual in the sense that it also illuminates the point of view. of a colonial native. Conrad's characters take their roles and move forward with the flow. Kurtz is one of the most skillfully created characters, both psychologically and morally. He is presented as a representative of all Western civilization. Just as Ted Hughes's "Hawk" in "Hawk Roosting" boasts of himself: "It took all of creation/To produce my foot, every one of my feathers/Now I hold theCreation in my foot”, likewise, “All of Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz” which gave free rein to his “indescribable rites” and his “unhealthy methods”. Its final conclusion “Exterminate all the brutes”, seen in the political-moral dimension, can be considered as capitalist exploitation aspiring to global supremacy. Forster's characters are very strong and fully developed. Like Conrad, we find him focusing on the trials of the individual in a situation of moral isolation leading either to destruction or enlightenment. Dr. Aziz, a jumble of extremes and contradictions, seems to be an embodiment of Forster's notion of the "confusion" of India. Directly or indirectly, Forster wants us to view many of Dr. Aziz's characteristics as those of many Indians in general. Fielding is yet another interesting character in the novel. Just as Marlow mediates between the two extremes of Kurtz and the Company, so too does Fielding appear as a moderator between the Court and Dr. Aziz. Human relationships and their limits are yet another very important aspect that comes up again and again in both cases. novels. Forster drifts excessively towards humanist philosophy and his characters prove to be good subjects for psychoanalysis. Nowhere do we find his voice clearer and stronger than in A Passage to India, in which human relationships are pushed to their limits, trying to break down boundaries of all kinds and attempting to bridge the gap between cultures and castes, a gap which also remains wider than ever in the end. Despite Dr. Aziz’s assertion that “This picnic has nothing to do with Englishmen or Indians; it’s a friendly expedition,” he must pay a heavy price for attempting to be intimate with Englishmen, even if everything ultimately resolves in his favor. . We certainly agree that the result is nothing but disaster "when Englishmen and Indians try to be socially intimate." Likewise, Heart of Darkness can also be studied as Marlow's journey into the depths of the human psyche and relationships. Darkness becomes a prejudice that does not see other cultures as human beings and rejects any kind of intimacy between people of different races. Symbolism is an important tool for writers. But for some writers in particular, this tool turns into a very powerful weapon with which they can not only defend their thoughts well, but also very skillfully convince their readers to support their point of view. Both Conrad and Forster possess this weapon and use it to full effect in their work. Landscape, rivers, caves and even various figures are seen as symbols representing very complex ideas. Darkness is associated with almost every place and person Marlow encounters, including himself. The Thames, like dark Africa, turns out to be one of the dark places. “And this too,” Marlow suddenly says, “has been one of the darkest places in the world” (Conrad 7). The river in which Marlow travels serves as a symbol on many levels in the novel, much like the Marabar Caves in A Passage to India. Each of these symbols of "nature" not only represents a certain number of ideas, but at the same time remains the vague center of each idea. The river which, according to Marlow, resembled “an immense snake uncoiled, its head in the sea, its body at rest, curved far away over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the earth” reminds us of snakes. which Dr. Aziz mentions to Mrs. Moore, saying: "There are bad characters and leopards can come from the Marabar hills." Snakes too. "The experience that.’